Mark doubleuJul 18, 2025
Lingthusiasm

Is a burrito a sandwich? Is ravioli? What about an ice cream sandwich...?

So wait, does any word mean anything anymore? Have we just broken language?? It's okay, linguistics has a solution!

In this episode we solve the problem with definitions!

https://soundcloud.com/lingthusiasm/106-is-a-hotdog-a-sandwich-the-problem-with-definitions

106: Is a hotdog a sandwich? The problem with definitions

We asked you if a burrito was a sandwich, and you said 'no'. We asked you if ravioli was a sandwich and you said 'heck no'. We asked you if an ice cream sandwich was a sandwich and things...started to

SoundCloud
Jul 18, 2025 at 2:49amWeb
Show threadLingthusiasmJul 18, 2025

You can find more links to lots of things mentioned in this episode on the shownotes page:

https://lingthusiasm.com/post/789369946731937792/episode-106-is-a-hotdog-a-sandwich-the-problem

Lingthusiasm - Lingthusiasm Episode 106: Is a hotdog a sandwich?...

Lingthusiasm Episode 106: Is a hotdog a sandwich? The problem with definitions We asked you if a burrito was a sandwich, and you said ‘no’. We asked you if ravioli was a sandwich and you said 'heck no’. We asked you if an ice cream sandwich was a sandwich and things…started to get a little murky. This isn’t just a sandwich problem: you can also have similar arguments about what counts as a cup, a bird, a fish, furniture, art, and more!  So wait…does any word mean anything anymore? Have we just broken language??  It’s okay, linguistics has a solution!  In this episode, your hosts Gretchen McCulloch and Lauren Gawne get enthusiastic about why deciding what’s in and what’s out of the definition of a word is so dang tricky, why people love to argue about it, and how prototype theory solves all the “is X a Y” arguments once and for all.  Note that this episode originally aired as Bonus 9: Is X a sandwich? Solving the word-meaning argument once and for all. We’ve added an updated announcements section to the top and a few new things about prototypes and meaning to the end. We’re excited to share one of our favourite bonus episodes from Patreon with a broader audience, while at the same time giving everyone who works on the show a bit of a break. Click here for a link to this episode in your podcast player of choice or read the transcript here. Announcements: In this month’s bonus episode we get enthusiastic about fictional gestures with Eric Molinsky, host of Imaginary Worlds, a podcast about sci-fi, fantasy and other genres of speculative fiction! We talk about the Vulcan salute from Star Trek, the Wakanda Forever salute from Black Panther, and the three-finger Hunger Games salute, and how all three have crossed over with additional symbolism into the real world. We also talk about gestures that have crossed over in the other direction, from the real-world origins of the Vulcan salute in a Jewish blessing, the two-finger blessing in the Foundation tv series from classical Latin and Greek oratory via Christian traditions, as well as religious gesture in the Penric and Desdemona series, smiles and shrugs in A Memory Called Empire, and more. Join us on Patreon now to get access to this and 100+ other bonus episodes. You’ll also get access to the Lingthusiasm Discord server where you can chat with other language nerds. Here are the links mentioned in the episode: Original episode on Patreon: ’Is X a sandwich? Solving the word-meaning argument once and for all’ Lingthusiasm bonus episode ’Liveshow Q and eh’ Wikipedia entry for 'Prototype Theory’ 'Memes in Digital Culture’ by Limor Shifman Ann Leckie on Fangirl Happy Hour  Jaffa cake: cake or biscuit? (UK) Crostini: bread or biscuit? (Aus) Tomato: fruit or vegetable? cup vs. bowl vs. vase  cup vs. mug  No Such Thing as a Fish (podcast) Wikipedia entry for 'Harlem Shake’ Wikipedia entry for 'Numa Numa’ Wikipedia entry for ’Gangnam Style’ Lingthusiasm episode ’Translating the untranslatable’ You can listen to this episode via Lingthusiasm.com, Soundcloud, RSS, Apple Podcasts/iTunes, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts. You can also download an mp3 via the Soundcloud page for offline listening. To receive an email whenever a new episode drops, sign up for the Lingthusiasm mailing list. You can help keep Lingthusiasm ad-free, get access to bonus content, and more perks by supporting us on Patreon. Lingthusiasm is on Bluesky, Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Mastodon, and Tumblr. Email us at contact [at] lingthusiasm [dot] com Gretchen is on Bluesky as @GretchenMcC and blogs at All Things Linguistic. Lauren is on Bluesky as @superlinguo and blogs at Superlinguo. Lingthusiasm is created by Gretchen McCulloch and Lauren Gawne. Our senior producer is Claire Gawne, our production editor is Sarah Dopierala, our production assistant is Martha Tsutsui Billins, our editorial assistant is Jon Kruk, and our technical editor is Leah Velleman. Our music is ‘Ancient City’ by The Triangles.This episode of Lingthusiasm is made available under a Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial Share Alike license (CC 4.0 BY-NC-SA).

Lingthusiasm
Show threadLingthusiasmJul 18, 2025

This month's bonus episode is about fictional gestures with Eric Molinsky, host of Imaginary Worlds, a podcast about sci-fi, fantasy and other genres of speculative fiction!

Help us keep the show running and get access to over 100 bonus episodes by becoming a patron:

https://www.patreon.com/posts/133185606

Show threadLingthusiasmJul 18, 2025

Missed the previous episode?

Check out our episode about the linguistics of tiktok with Adam Aleksic, better known on social media as etymologynerd, here:

https://lingthusiasm.com/post/786832701937303552/lingthusiasm-episode-105-linguistics-of-tiktok

Lingthusiasm - Lingthusiasm Episode 105: Linguistics of TikTok -...

Lingthusiasm Episode 105: Linguistics of TikTok - Interview with Adam Aleksic aka EtymologyNerd TikTok, Instagram Reels, and YouTube Shorts are an evolving genre of media: short-form, vertical videos that take up your whole screen and are served to you from an algorithm rather than who you follow. This changes how people talk in them compared to earlier forms of video, and linguists are on it! In this episode, your host Gretchen McCulloch gets enthusiastic about the linguistics of tiktok with Adam Aleksic, better known on social media as etymologynerd. We talk about how Adam got his start into linguistics via etymology, the process that he goes through to make his current videos get the attention of people and algorithms, and how different forms of media (like podcasts vs shortform video) relate differently to their audiences. We also talk about the challenges of writing a book about language on the internet when it changes so fast, comparing the writing process for Adam’s upcoming book Algospeak with Gretchen’s book Because Internet. Click here for a link to this episode in your podcast player of choice or read the transcript here. Announcements: In celebration of our 100th bonus episode we’ve decided to go back into the vault and revisit our very first bonus episode - with updated sweary commentary! We’ve made this extra bonus bonus version available to all patrons, free and paid, so feel free to send it to your friends! In this month’s bonus episode we get enthusiastic about your linguistics questions! In honour of our 100th bonus episode of Lingthusiasm, and because our first advice episode was so popular, here’s another episode answering your advice questions, from the serious to the silly! Join us on Patreon now to get access to this and 90+ other bonus episodes. You’ll also get access to the Lingthusiasm Discord server where you can chat with other language nerds. Here are the links mentioned in the episode: Adam Aleksic’s website etymologynerd on TikTok, Instagram, and Substack Algospeak by Adam Aleksic ‘Where Do Memes Come From? The Top Platforms From 2010-2022’ by Aidan Walker for Know Your Meme Lingthusiasm episode ’Emoji are Gesture Because Internet’ Because Internet by Gretchen McCulloch 'It’s Complicated - The Social Lives of Networked Teens’ by Danah Boyd (pdf) Lingthusiasm bonus episode ’Words from your family: Familects!’ 'Language and the Internet’ by David Crystal (2001) Lingthusiasm episode ’Helping computers decode sentences - Interview with Emily M. Bender’ You can listen to this episode via Lingthusiasm.com, Soundcloud, RSS, Apple Podcasts/iTunes, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts. You can also download an mp3 via the Soundcloud page for offline listening. To receive an email whenever a new episode drops, sign up for the Lingthusiasm mailing list. You can help keep Lingthusiasm ad-free, get access to bonus content, and more perks by supporting us on Patreon. Lingthusiasm is on Bluesky, Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Mastodon, and Tumblr. Email us at contact [at] lingthusiasm [dot] com Gretchen is on Bluesky as @GretchenMcC and blogs at All Things Linguistic. Lauren is on Bluesky as @superlinguo and blogs at Superlinguo. Lingthusiasm is created by Gretchen McCulloch and Lauren Gawne. Our senior producer is Claire Gawne, our production editor is Sarah Dopierala, our production assistant is Martha Tsutsui Billins, our editorial assistant is Jon Kruk, and our technical editor is Leah Velleman. Our music is ‘Ancient City’ by The Triangles.This episode of Lingthusiasm is made available under a Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial Share Alike license (CC 4.0 BY-NC-SA).

Lingthusiasm
Show threadLingthusiasmJul 18, 2025

You can read the transcript for 'Is a hotdog a sandwich? The problem with definitions' here:

https://lingthusiasm.com/post/789370350172602368/transcript-episode-106-is-x-a-sandwich-bonus

Show threadchris_douglasJul 19, 2025
@lingthusiasm I really enjoyed this episode, reminded me of this: https://cuberule.com/
The Cube Rule

Identify your food based on the location of structural starch. Is a hot dog a sandwich? No, it's clearly a taco.

Show threadTim ChaseJul 21, 2025

@lingthusiasm I find this Tumblr post one of the most elucidating on the topic of sandwiches:

"Look, this is my litmus test: I pretend I am the original Earl of Sandwich. I have asked for non-bread foods to be brought to me inside bread, *that I might more easily consume them one-handed while gambling*. This [weird bagel-not-a-sandwich thing] does not enable my wretched regency habits. This is not what I asked for. I do not deign to grace it with the name of my house."

Show threadfloJul 24, 2025
@lingthusiasm
The thing about fish is that biologists like to think in relationship. You think of the tree of life, take one point and all that's descended from there belongs to one group. When you do that with fish, it includes all vertebrates so either you say "fish and vertebrates are synonymous" or you say "there is no such thing as a fish".
That's why "whales are fish" is my favorite version of the bell curve meme.
Show threadfloJul 24, 2025
@lingthusiasm
Unrelated to my other comment, I had a discussion with my sister in law whether "Tasse" (roughly cup or mug I think) has to have a handle. While prototypically it certainly has one, I think it doesn't have to as long as it's made to drink hot drinks out of it.